The Dialogue Institute hosted and facilitated a special full-day training on "Peace through Dialogue" for staff from the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) in October of 2016. The customized training, focusing on dialogue, the "global ethic" and human rights, was led by Dialogue Institute (DI) Executive Director Rebecca Mays, and Founder/President Leonard Swidler, and designed to help GPF staff prepare for their upcoming Global Peace Convention 2017 in Manila, Philippines.

"I found this workshop to be extremely valuable. The ten (Dialogue) Principles are brilliant, and I can see that they would stimulate a fantastic discussion in any group anywhere; if adhered to, these principles can be a key to unlock tangled relationships and foster peace," said Gail Hambleton, director of GPF's Global Peace Interfaith Division.

This was a very informative day in which we gained much. Being introduced to the process of dialogue as a vital tool to begin the discussion around conflict was of great value to me. It was clearly articulated how dialogue is not a form of debate, rather a process that has each participant moving through an evaluative system, looking at both sides of the issue, which in turn can bring greater understanding, even if not agreement on the stance that each person/group may take.

— Training participant

Given the success of the initial training, DI staff have been invited to lead a second set of trainings during the international convention, to be held February 28-March 3. With the theme of "Moral and Innovative Leadership: New Models for Peace and Development," the gathering, "will bring together leading global experts and practitioners to share best practices and develop multi-sector partnerships for sustainable peace and development and the achievement of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals." GPF is also partnering with the DI to develop a special "global ethic track" for the conference, inviting stakeholders, scholars and practictioners currently contributing to the process of developing a global ethic to meet, discuss and forge new collaborations going forward. Professor Swidler, given his extensive work in formulating an initial global ethic, has been asked to provide a keynote address on that topic.

"Global Peace Foundation is very action-oriented and I am very excited about how complementary our two organizations are," says Hambleton. "GPF has community and national level peace-building models that are focused on shared values can demonstrate the efficacy a values-based approach. In effect these are the laboratories that apply shared values to solve real problems. Such applications in diverse contexts can provide the insights and evidence of the efficacy of the global ethic, taking action on the adage to 'think globally and act locally.'"

The GPF training represents a critical strategic direction for the DI, focusing increasingly on developing and marketing both standard and customized fee-for-service trainings on dialogue and the global ethic. Contact Rebecca Mays for more information.

The Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of "One Family under God." GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national and regional peacebuilding models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies.

GPF affirms the importance of universally recognized principles and shared values as essential to building social cohesion within nations and the global community.

Among these principles are:

All people have intrinsic value, dignity, and fundamental rights, as endowed by the Creator.

Every person has, as his or her highest attribute, a spiritual and moral essence.

Our human nature finds its fullest expression and meaning in relation to others.

People develop their innate potential through their choices and actions. Freedom and responsibility are intrinsically linked.